Too little sleep can also contribute to weight gain. Women who slept 5 hours or less a night were far more likely to snack on junk and gain 30 pounds or more than women who slept 7 hours per night.

While individual's sleep needs vary, after an exhaustive 2-year study, the National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get between 7-9 hours of sleep every night. People over 65 can get by with 7-8 hours a night, and kids need more than 8.

In Chicago, it's 6.84 hours. Basically, if you live in a city — whether that city is on the coast, in the Midwest, or in the West — you typically sleep less than seven hours a night.

Short-term events don't affect your sleep as much as they seem. For instance, the switch to daylight savings may make you feel tired, but it only causes Americans to lose 13 minutes of sleep that night.

Sleep quality degrades as we age. Forty-nine percent more people in their 60s report long-term sleep problems than people in their 20s.

There are scientific tricks for getting a better night's sleep. For instance, sleeping on our backs can make us prone to snoring, which can keep us from sleeping deeply. So try sleeping with fewer pillows or in different positions.

Avoiding bright light in the evening, and exposing yourself to sunlight in the morning will also help you fall asleep easier and wake up easier.

Your alarm clock shouldn't really wake you up. Most deep sleep occurs in the first couple of hours of the night. If you go to sleep and wake on a regular schedule, and that schedule includes a reasonable amount of sleep, you would wake up around when the alarm was set anyway.